Washing machine having a tray movable in a tank



WASHING MACHINE HAVING A TRAY MOVABLE IN A TANK Filed June 19, 1952 2 sheets-sheet 1 E |l r if zo r las J5' Z0 I* l I l l Z4 Z C za 26 35 36 7 lNvENToR 25 37 JULIUS T.wAcHs ATTORNEYS Aug- 16, 1955 .1. T. wAcHs 2,715,409

WASHING MACHINE HAVING A TRAY MOVABLE IN A TANK Filed June 19, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JULIUS TWACHS MM2) 7425A ATTORNEYS United States Patent O WASHING MACHINE HAVING A TRAY MOVABLE 1N A TANK Julius T. Wachs, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application June 19, 1952, Serial No. 294,344

2 Claims. (Cl. 134-140) This invention appertains to the washing and cleaning of metal parts and other objects by immersing and moving the parts through a suitable cleaning solution.

lt has heretofore been proposed to provide a tank for containing a cleaning solution and to mount in said tank a tray, on which is placed the parts to be cleaned for movement in the solution. Immersion alone, or the mere moving of the parts through a cleaning solution is not suicient to remove chips, grease and the like from the parts.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide means for reciprocating the tray through the solution in a straight path, and at the same time agitating the solution in such a manner that the solution will be forcibly moved around the parts to eiectively carry chips and dirt away from the parts.

A further object of my invention is the provision of curved or dished splash plates, carried by the tray for forcing and directing the cleaning solution up through the tray adiacenti to the opposite sides thereof and then inwardly over the parts on the tray, in oppositely moving swirling currents, whereby to dislodge foreign matter from the parts.

A further important object of my invention is to provide a simple and durable mechanism for slowly and automatically moving the tray up and down in the tank through and into and out of the cleaning solution.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means for eectively holding the tray in its lifted position above the solution upon the shutting olf of the motor, whereby to facilitate the placing on and the removing of parts on and olf the tray.

A still further important object of my invention is to provide a metal parts cleaning machine of the above character, which will be etlicient in use, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture and one which can be placed upon the market at a reasonable cost.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which drawings,

Figure l is a side elevational view of the improved metal parts washing and cleaning machine with parts of the view broken away and in section to illustrate structural detail.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the machine on the line 2 2 of Figure l looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view through the machine taken on the line 3-3 of Figure l looking in the direction of the arrows, the view showing the novel configuration of the splash plate.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows, illustrating a part of the brake applying mechanism.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar 2,715,409 Patented Aug. 16, 1955 ICC reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter M generally indi- Cates the improved machine and the same includes a tank 5, mounted upon a suitable base 6. The tank 5 is sturdily made from metal of the desired gauge, and includes spaced, parallel side walls 7 and S, end walls 9 and 10, and a bottom wall 11. A cover 12 is provided for closing the upper end of the tank and the cover can be hinged, as at 13, to the side wall 7. A handle 14, can also be provided for facilitating the opening and closing of the cover.

Mounted for movement in the tank, in a straight up and down path, is a tray 15, on which the metal parts or other objects to be cleaned, are placed. The tray 15 embodies an open frame 16, preferably formed from angle iron, and certain flanges of the angle iron are turned inwardly to form a support for a heavy woven wire, expanded metal, or other foraminous bottom wall 17. This bottom wall 17 can be Welded, or otherwise secured to the frame 16. This tray 15 will again be referred to.

A simple means is provided for reciprocating the tray 15 up and down in the tank, and this means includes transversely extending end shafts 18 and 19. The terminals of the shafts 1S and 19 extend through the side walls 7 and 8 of the tank, and these walls carry bearings 2l) for the shafts. Crank arms 21 are rigidly secured to the shafts 18 and 19 adjacent to the inner faces of the tank and these crank arms extend inwardly from the shafts toward one another. The ends of the crank arms 21 have pivotally secured thereto, depending rods 22 and the lower ends of the rods are pivotally connected, as at 23, to the opposite sides of the tray 15, adjacent to the ends of the tray. One end or the shaft 19, has keyed or otherwise secured thereto, a double armed lever 24, and one end of the shaft 18, has keyed or otherwise secured thereto, a crank arm 25. One arm of the double armed lever 24, is operatively connected to the crank arm 25, by means of a connecting rod 26. Hence, the shafts 18 and 19 are connected for synchronous movement. Means is provided for actuating the double armed lever 24, and this means includes an electric motor 27, which is preferably carried by the bottom of the tank 5.

Also carried by the tank 5 is a speed reducing gear mechanism 28. This gear mechanism 28 is of a type commonly found on the open market and will not be described in detail, but the same includes an input shaft 29 and an output shaft 30. The gear mechanism 28 is driven from the motor 27 in any preferred way, and as illustrated, pulley wheels 31 and 32 are secured respectively to the armature shaft 33 of the motor and to the input shaft 29. The pulley wheels are connected by a V-belt 34. Keyed, or otherwise secured, to the output shaft 30 of the gear mechanism 2S is an operating crank 35 and the crank has pivotally connected to its outer end a connecting rod 36 and the upper end of this rod is pivotally secured, as at 37, to the lower end of the double armed lever 24. Consequently, upon the driving of the shaft 30 during operation of the motor 27, the double armed lever 24 will be rocked back and forth, causing the shafts 1S and 19 to rock, and thus move the tray 15 up and down in the cleaning solution 38 in the tank and into and out of the cleaning solution.

The tank 15 is filled to a certain desired level with a preferred cleaning solution 38.

At the extreme end of the upward movement of the tray 15, the same rides entirely out of the cleaning solution and this is for the purpose of agitating the solution, and to also facilitate the loading and unloading of the parts onto and off of the tray. During the unloading of the tray, with the tray out of the solution, the parts can be permitted to drain for a given length of time.

Means has been provided for holding the tray stationary above the cleaning solution upon the opening of the circuit to the motor 27 to insure the easy removal of parts off of the tray andthe placing of parts to be cleaned on the tray. This means includesv a brake lever 39 .which extends transversely across the bottom of the tank. The brake lever 39 is rockably mounted intermediate its ends on a pivot pin 40, which can be carried by a bracket supported on the bottom of the tank. The inner end of the lever carries a brake shoe 41, which is adapted to be brought into and out of braking engagement with the periphery of the pulley wheel k32 and the pulley belt 34.

The outer end of the brake lever extends' slightly beyond I the side wall 8 and this end has pivotally connected thereto, as to 41 an operating rod 42. The operating rod extends up alongside of the Wall S and is bent laterally, as at 43, and back upon itself to form a handle 44. The laterally extending portion 43 of the rod is received within a vertically extending guide slot 45 formed in a guide bracket 46 rigidly secured to the side wall 8. One wall of the guide slot 45 at its upper end is provided with a keeper notch 47. Upon pulling up of the rod 42 with the laterally extending portion 46 riding in the slot 45, the brake lever 39 will be rocked to bring the shoe 41 into braking engagement with the pulley wheel 32 and with the brake shoe in firm contact with the pulley Wheel, the operating rod 42 can be pulled forwardly so that the portion 46 of the rod will ride into the keeper notch 47 which will hold the shoe in its braking position, leaving the hands of the operator free to remove and place parts off and on the tray 15.

A switch 48 of a desired type, is provided for controlling the operation of the electric motor 27, and is so placed on the bottom of the tank that upon operation of the brake lever 39 to apply the brake, Vthe same will be actuated to open the circuit to the motor. When the brake lever is released, the switch is then released so as to automatically close the circuit'through the motor.

After the tray rides out of the solution, the operator pulls the rod 42 up and into the keeper notch 47, thereby bringing the brake shoe into play to hold the tray in its desired raised position.

One of the important features of the invention besides the brake, is the provision of curved splash plates 49. These Vsplash plates preferably extend transversely across the bottom of the tray and are arranged in spaced relation relative to one another. As illustrated, two splash plates are provided, but obviously more or less can be employed, according to the size of the machine. Each plate 49 is curved or bowed in an arc of a circle and has the central portion thereof welded, or otherwise secured, to the bottom foraminous wall 17 vof the tray. By referring to Figure 3, it will be seen that each plate 49 curves downwardly and away from the longitudinal center of the tray and that the ends of each plate have formed thereon, upstanding anges 50, which are also Welded, or otherwise rigidly secured to the bottom wall. The anges 50 terminate short of the sides of the tray for a purpose, which will now'be set forth.

During the movement of the tray through the cleaning solution 38, the curved plates 49 will force the solution in opposite directions and up through the bottom wall 17 of the tray adjacent to the opposite sides of the tray and the cleaning solution will be forcibly directed over all parts placed on the tray. Y In efect, during movement of the tray, currents of the solution will be directed up through the tray at the sides thereof toward the center of the tray.

The splash plates 49 are provided with openings 51 to permit the free circulation of the cleaning uid through the entire area of the tray, and during the downward movement of the tray columns of Water will ow up into the tray through the openings 51.

From the foregoing, it can be seenrthat I have provided an exceptionally simple and durable metal parts washing machine.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of this invention, but what I claim as new is:

l. A washing machine comprising a tank for a cleaning solution, a tray having a foraminous bottom wall lever secured to one of the rock shafts, a pitman rod` operatively connecting the crank to one arm of the double armed lever, and means operatively connecting the double armed lever with the other rock shaft including a crank arm on said other rock shaft and a connecting rod connecting said last mentioned crank With the double armed lever.

2. A washing machine comprising a tank for a cleaning solution, a tray mounted in said tank, means for moving the tray up and down in said tank, said tray having a foraminous Hat bottom wall, and a splash plate under said tray and extending transversely of the tray and secured to the bottom wall of the tray at the longitudinal center of said wall along a corresponding center of the plate, said plate curving downwardly away from the tray in opposite directions from said center of the plate and from the longitudinal center of the tray in gradually in opposite directions by the plate over the tray upon downward movement of the tray in the cleaning solution.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 536,525 Hodges et al Mar. 26, 1895 551,272 Finlay et al. Dec. l0, 1895 876,798 Greer Ian. 14, 1908 2,442,675 Boss Ian. 14, 1908 

